The following discussion of the prior art is intended to place the invention in an appropriate technical context and enable the associated advantages to be fully understood. However, any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should not be considered as an admission that such art is widely known or forms part of the common general knowledge in the field.
Traditional tile laying techniques require a reasonably high level of skill to prepare the surface prior to tiling and to align and consistently space the tiles during installation. While spacing aids are available, they provide additional cost as well as being relatively difficult to use effectively. In addition, traditional tile laying cement can be messy to use, often drying to form visual imperfections on the surface of the tiles. For these reasons, both wall and floor tiling is typically not ideally suited to the do-it-yourself home handyman or renovator.
On solution offered to this problem is the modular system for tiling indoor spaces and paving outdoor spaces disclosed by WO 2005/124053. In this application, a method of assembling modular panels—constituted by a substantially square ground contact frame on top of which is a permanently fixed tile—is described. Each panel further includes male tabs and corresponding female elements arranged alternately along the perimeter of the frame for interconnecting adjacent modular panels. Once assembled, a plurality of interconnected modular panels combine to define a floating tiled floor, which is ready for use immediately.
The system taught by WO 2005/124053, however, is subject to several problems and limitations. Firstly, the panels are heavy and difficult to manipulate during installation. Also, due to the tile being permanently fixed to the ground contact frame, the user is required to select a tile or paver from the stock available through the panel supplier. Consequently, the user has a relatively limited selection when compared to the tiles available on the market.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art, or to provide a useful alternative.
It is an object of a preferred form of the invention to provide a modular flooring system that is relatively easy to install and is able to utilise standard tiles. Ideally, the system will be able to accommodate tiles or pavers from different manufacturers and therefore give the user a greater selection.